A Swiss Disney Land In Argentina

When you think of Argentina, Milka cow, chocolate and Heidi doesn´t immediately spring to mind does it ? No. After 18 hours on a bus ( which was amazingly comfortable I might add ), this is where I ended up. Quite literally, in a weird and wonderful replica of Switzerland.

Before I tell you about Bariloche, I want to tell you about the drive down to this city from Buenos Aires. Argentineans certainly know how to travel in style. Reclining chairs, waiter service and a stop in a restaurant for our dinner and breakfast was what I received. It was great and so much more luxurious than the skanky hostel I was staying in in Buenos Aires ! The scenery was amazing too - we travelled through miles and miles of pampa grassland and I woke up as the sun was rising over a tiny hamlet you would expect in a country and western film. All that was missing was the tumble weed.

You can imagine my delight at finally arriving. Bariloche is the party capital of Argentina and I realised this as soon as I got to the filthy hostel I had booked myself into. I decided to get out of there, especially because the dorm I was assigned looked like a scene from Hiroshima. Bodies were sprawled all over the floor and after stepping on an Israeli girls hair which wasn´t by the way, appreciated, I thought it was time to find another hostel. And that´s exactly what I did.

Bariloche is, in a world surreal. The town is spread around a lake which is surrounded by the snow capped Andes Mountains. It is really verdant and the air is so pure, especially coming from Buenos Aires. It is literally an over exaggerated Switzerland transported to South America, promising the unsuspecting tourist a slice of Europe. I cannot even begin to tell you how beautiful the town is. Like Switzerland, it is clean, neat and tidy. Unlike the rest of Argentina, punctuality is not just a nordic concept, it´s a custom.

I met up with a Brazilian girl I had met in Buenos Aires ( she´s the stunning one in the photos ) and we explored the beaches - did I mentioned how hot it is here and how tanned I am ? !! It is very strange to be sun bathing next to snowy mountains.

We also visited the famous Hotel Llao Llao ( pronounced chao chao). Basically, if you are rich and important, this is the place to be. It is a cross between a Swiss log cabin and an English country manner. Yet again, having walked in the woods and along the beaches all day, me and my friend looked like we had been cleaning out the local stables. Only when I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror did I realise that I had donned the appearance of a busker you try and ignore so that he doesn´t beg you for money. Adriana, the Brazilian was marginally more presentable but she was carrying a bag with a huge and unmistakable picture of Che Guevara on it. The looks we got were absolutely priceless and it feels quite satisfying to be able to order anything on the menu ( and for Argentineans it wasn´t cheap) and to give the impression that I am part of a leper colony. You will see from the pictures that the hotel is beautiful but for $1000 a night, I thought that I would go back to my hovel ( I mean hostel) which my friend had pleasantly named ´the rats´nest´.

We also visited the Colonia Suissa which, as the name suggests, is where the Swiss immigrants first settled. Again, the scenery was spectacular and the houses were really cute in an OTT Swiss chalet style. What is fabulous about this part of the world are the home made cakes ! Those of you who know me will remember how much I lurrrrve cake ! Imagine a soft, moist chocolate cake filled with cream and fresh strawberries and raspberries .... it was perfection in a mouthful. The cakes were all made with local ingredients. Trout is also a speciality and it was unbelievably good with mountain mushrooms and lemon. It is great barbecued too. By the way, it is highly likely that I will return to England the size of a cow.

All in all , I loved the mountains and the forests around this city but something was missing. It is geared towards the tourists in every way. It is expensive, slightly fake and the focus is to go out and get wasted in tacky English pubs. I can do that in Peterborough and dance like a weirdo at the same time ....

If you haven´t sponsored me already for my Inca Trail , please do so !! www.justgiving.com /ciccia